County of Saarwerden

The County of Saarwerden was a county located in Lorraine, within the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was in Boquenom (situated on the right side of the Saar) and later in New Saarwerden or Ville Neuve de Sarrewerden (on the left side of the Saar), both in the present city of Sarre-Union. Today, the area of the county belongs to Bas-Rhin, Alsace.

In 1047, Emperor Heinrich III of the Holy Roman Empire established the Duchy of Lorraine from the former Duchy of Upper Lorraine. During the troubles that agitated the duchy, some lords rebelled and became more or less, independent of the Duke. Saarwerden branched from the Bishopric of Metz, when lord Friedrich, son of Godfrey I of Blieskastel separated and formed the County of Saarwerden. Thus the County was created under the House of Saarwerden in 1111. Friedrich built a castle in Sarrwerden upon the ruins of an ancient Roman bath. He and his wife Gertrude also founded the Abbey Wörschweiler in 1130.

The most famous representative of this family was Friedrich III. He was Archbishop of Cologne from 1370–1414. On the death of his childless brother Heinrich II, the last Count of Saarwerden, in 1397, Friedrich temporarily directed the County before ceding the government to his stepbrother, Friedrich III, Count of Moers.

Now the County was in personal union under Friedrich as the County of Moers-Saarwerden. In 1417, the County of Saarwerden branched off once more as the inheritance of his son, Johann. The House of Moers-Saarwerden died to the House of Nassau and County of Saarbrücken in 1527; through jure uxoris, Johann Ludwig of Nassau-Saarbrücken inherited the lands of his wife, Countess Katharina I.

The County was passed into the House of Nassau. Count Johann Ludwig attempted to usurp the authority of the Bishophric of Metz in the County by dissolving the Benedictine Abbey in 1554. After the Abbey was demolished in 1557, The Bishopric of Metz was annexed into France, and the land passed to Lorraine. Old property disputes with Lorraine were a subject of contention during this time.

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